Donald Trump is campaigning across the country with the promise 'Make America Great Again'.

The election catchphrase has been embroidered on thousands of baseball caps which are purchased by the truck load by fans of the billionaire businessman.

Inside each of the caps, which are made in a factory in Los Angeles, is a small label denoting their origin: 'Made in USA.'

Republican candidate Donald Trump has bought more than $1.5 million hats from his LA supplier

The hats sell on Trump's campaign site for between $25-$30 - although knock-offs are available elsewhere

The Associated Press sent several caps to textile expert Deborah Young to compare with samples from the fabric's manufacture. According to Ms Young, the sample on the right came from a different source

However, while the caps may have been stitched together by workers employed in Los Angeles, the provenance of the fabric itself is far more obscure.

The Associated Press decided to examine the claim and sampled a number of the hats and sent them to an expert who viewed them under a microscope.

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At least one of the hats did not contain the specific type of American-made fabric the hats' manufacturer insists his factory always uses to make each one.

The true origin of the fabric in the hat remains a mystery — whether US or foreign made and by whom — and is a striking example of how difficult and murky it can be to verify something is actually 'Made in USA'.

Trump has sold thousands of the hats to his supporters through is website for between $20-30 each

Trump acknowledged that some of the merchandise worn by fans may be foreign 'knock offs'

The Republican presidential candidate has made it a cornerstone of his campaign that US companies and individuals should aim for that standard to bring back American jobs, even if it means paying more.

Informed of the AP's findings, Trump said any misrepresentation would be unacceptable.

He said: 'I pay a good price for that hat. If it's not made in the USA, we'll bring a lawsuit.'

The AP review included a microscopic analysis of five hats bought from Trump's campaign website, which showed the fabric in one was of a different type than that made by the supplier the manufacturer told the AP provides all his hat fabric.

HOW THE HATS WERE ANALYZED

Fabric samples were obtained directly from the manufacturer

These samples were compared microscopically by expert Professor Deborah Young

She compared the samples from the fabric producer to the hats from Trump's website

She said: 'The material in one Trump hat was inconsistent with either sample'

The investigation could not prove if the fabric came from outside America

Trump's campaign sells its hats for $25 to $30 each on its website. It was unclear how many it has sold, but the campaign has paid Cali-Fame nearly $1.5 million for hats through the end of last month.

The knockoffs, sometimes worn by Trump supporters at his rallies, can be had for as little as $6 on Amazon.com.

Trump acknowledged there appeared to be a demand for the cheaper, foreign hats.

He said he was unsure whether supporters buying those hats never checked the tags or didn't care. 'I don't know if they know.'

Trump said his organization has been writing letters trying to force the knockoff makers to stop.

He added: 'Maybe we'll end up suing companies. Who knows where they are.'